Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY Despite being an atypical Notre Dame football legacy prospect, three-star Richie Flanigan made a predictable de- cision in his recruitment Sept. 25. Flanigan, the brother of current Irish freshman tight end James Flanigan, an- nounced his verbal commitment to the Fighting Irish. The Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy junior made his declaration following his un- official visit to South Bend for the Texas A&M game Sept. 13. Flanigan has been a familiar name to the Irish football program for more than 30 years. Richie and James are the sons of former Irish defensive lineman Jim Flanigan, a four-year contributor at Notre Dame and a third-round NFL Draft pick in 1994. Still, like his brother James two years ago, Richie made his decision indepen- dently. Their father did not nudge either of them toward South Bend. "He didn't really talk about his foot- ball days or anything," Richie told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I knew he was in the NFL and played for Notre Dame, but he really doesn't talk about it." Richie viewed Notre Dame through his own lens. Flanigan — the No. 3 player in Wis- consin, and the No. 10 interior offensive lineman and No. 222 overall prospect nationally in the 2027 class per Rivals — received his scholarship offer from the Irish during the program's St. Patrick's Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event March 17. Since then, Flanigan visited campus three times as an offered recruit. He also saw Wisconsin, Duke, Illinois, North- western and Michigan — five of the six other schools that offered him scholar- ships. Those visits only clarified that Notre Dame would be the pick. "During this entire thing, I was defi- nitely taking a good look around at ev- ery school," he said. "Pretty much last summer, after I did all my camps, I was pretty confident that I wanted to go to Notre Dame. "But I still wanted to look around. After I went to the game day for Texas A&M, I was like, 'I don't want to wait any longer. I for sure know I want to go to Notre Dame.'" The 6-foot-3, 265-pound junior, who plays offensive and defensive line at the high school level, could play either po- sition for Notre Dame. Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power projects Flanigan to develop into an offensive lineman, ranking him as the No. 10 player among interior offensive linemen nationally. While conversations with the Irish about playing O-line have not been ex- tensive, they have happened. For now, Flanigan expects to begin his career on defense. The program's development on both sides of the ball was a major factor in his decision. "As I got to know the coaches more, I really liked their coaching style," Fla- nigan said. "Also, I saw their NFL de- velopment. Last year, they had How- ard Cross and Rylie Mills go to the NFL. That's two D-linemen right there. "Then, on the offensive side of the ball, they got Billy Schrauth, who's go- ing to be an NFL player, and they're like O-line U, essentially. They have a ton of great O-linemen. … That was another key factor for me." More variables were in play, too, which ultimately made his decision an easy one, regardless of his family ties. "I've always known it's a great school academically," he said. "Also, the foot- ball program is great. I knew that going into my recruitment. It was always high up before I even had an offer from there, before I even looked at other schools. "When I was at the game day, and I saw what the team culture was like and got to know the coaches a little bit more, I knew that I didn't want to waste any more time. I wanted to commit." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE RICHIE FLANIGAN Family Legacy Is Not The Only Reason This Elite Lineman Picked Notre Dame Flanigan committed to the Fighting Irish just 12 days after unofficially visiting campus for the Texas A&M game Sept. 13. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER FILM ANALYSIS "Richie Flanigan is an athletic, strong, ver- satile two-way lineman, and one who could certainly play on either line of scrimmage at the college level. Regardless of where he ends up positionally long term, he brings a lot of athleticism, play strength and grittiness to the table. "You love the pedigree he brings to the ta- ble. He and his brother [James Flanigan] will be third-generation college football players. Their father and grandfather both played in the NFL. "Watching his games as a junior, he's getting double-teamed a lot. Opposing teams know that he's a college prospect and is getting a lot of attention from the offensive line, but he pushes the pocket and makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. "It's a quality get for Notre Dame. You can see his career positionally going differ- ent ways, and he has natural, physical ability. Notre Dame loves versatile linemen, legacies and guys with NFL pedigree." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power "During this entire thing, I was definitely taking a good look around at every school. Pretty much last summer, after I did all my camps, I was pretty confident that I wanted to go to Notre Dame." FLANIGAN